How to boost your bedtime cleansing routine

Cleansers: not quite as seductive as serums and infinitely less compelling than exfoliators, but underestimating this essential part of your skincare regime could be doing your skin a huge disservice.

So much more than a routine chore, the right cleansing regime can make tomorrow a good skin day and help with getting a better night’s sleep right now. Not only does the perfect cleanser prepare your skin for the next step (you can slather on the fanciest serums, but if they can’t penetrate the layers of dead skin and grime, you might as well be pouring them down the sink), it can actually boost your complexion, too.

‘Cleansing is a non-negotiable step in your skincare routine, as it can make the biggest difference to skin texture, skin quality and skin health,’ confirms skin expert Fiona Brackenbury. Luckily for our complexions, it seems the will is there: cleansers claim top spot as the most searched for term in the skincare category, with a 500% uptick in the last month alone.

Here’s how to make the most of your sink time…

Put down the cleansing wipes, things are about to get a little bit more intense. ‘Double cleansing will be a game-changer if you’re not already doing it,’ says Fiona. ‘Cleansing effectively can change the visible appearance of skin, helping it look smoother, brighter and less puffy.‘

Fiona suggests trying what she calls a ‘skincare-exfoliation sandwich’ – two rounds of cleansing with exfoliation in the middle. ‘Once a week, when you’re exfoliating with a physical scrub or enzyme, split your double-cleansing routine,’ she explains. ‘Your first cleanse should, ideally, be with a cleansing oil or balm to breakdown the impurities, makeup and SPF. Then exfoliate in order to remove all the dead cells that not only make skin look tired and dull but can also trap impurities, surfactants (cleansing agents), pollution and SPF.‘

After exfoliation comes your second cleanse, with a wash-off, water-based cleanser. This will give visibly smoother, brighter, clearer skin, says Fiona: ‘The technique is especially good when followed by masks, facial oils and serums.’

You no longer have to leave the skincare heavy lifting to serums – simply upgrade your cleanser to add in a skincare active at every step of your regime.

Thanks to a slew of all-singing, all-dancing cleansers, your skin can be treated to a hyaluronic acid-packed hydration hit, the blemish-blitzing power of salicylic acid or the dead-skin-cell scavenging prowess of an AHA. The one you choose depends on your individual skin concern, which is why it’s crucial to match your cleanser to your unique complexion needs.

‘You probably already massage your skin for 60 seconds while cleansing to ensure all pigments and impurities are broken down,’ says Fiona. ‘But why not split the 60 seconds between using your fingers and using a gua sha tool? Not only will the gua sha stimulate circulation, but it will aid lymphatic drainage, which ultimately delivers a greater cleanse.’

‘With cleansers or toners that you apply with cotton pads, make sure you dampen the pads first – otherwise, they act like sponges and soak up twice the amount of product you actually need,’ advises Fiona. ‘Also, remember that water-based skincare products such as hydrating serums are better absorbed and more effective when applied to damp skin, so try to refrain from drying your skin after cleansing.’

Most of us appreciate that sleep is our anti-ageing superpower, but did you know that your cleansing regime could actually help prepare you for quality beauty sleep? ‘Fragrance and essentials oils are well known for their relaxing and de-stressing benefits and have been used for thousands of years to aid wellbeing,’ says Fiona. ’When beautiful aromas are inhaled, they work with the limbic system, which controls our emotions and can enable us to connect with the moment and have some well-deserved me-time. Grounding techniques use the five senses and when we’re cleansing, we’re using three of the five: touch, smell and sight.’ So opt for cleansers with added aromatherapy benefits (lavender is especially effective at helping us drift off).

It may be the beauty buzzword du jour, but a well-maintained skin barrier is the cornerstone of a healthy complexion. So make sure yours is kept in tip-top condition with a barrier-boosting cleanser. From probiotics to soothing botanicals, the key is to steer clear of anything that strips or disrupts the skin’s precious acid mantle (the very fine, slightly acidic film on the surface of skin, which helps create a healthy barrier).

There’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off several jobs at once, and these multi-tasking heroes perform various complexion feats in one fell swoop to help maximise your cleansing routine.